


Impulse Buy

by motherbearof3



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Bachelor Auction, Bachelorette Auction, Charity Auctions, F/M, a little AU because Undiscovered Country doesn't happen, they're both secretly interested in each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherbearof3/pseuds/motherbearof3
Summary: Olivia gets talked into participating in an auction for charity.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66
Collections: Barson Secret Santa 2020





	Impulse Buy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writingsrus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingsrus/gifts).



> Mea Culpa for being a delinquent. This is why I can't do two Secret Santa fic exchanges without having something pre-written! But I made some art as a bonus. I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> None of the characters are mine. They all belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.

Olivia Benson looked at the tall figure of Trevor Langan in disbelief. Surely she didn’t just hear him ask her to auction herself off. The lawyer lowered his frame into one of the chairs opposite her desk. He hated those chairs. Felt like he was sitting on the floor and his knees were under his chin. So he stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles.

“It’s for charity, Olivia,” Langan said.

He smiled, his blue eyes full of sincerity as he pulled a printed copy of the email that had been circulating attorney’s offices in the city for the last month from his inside jacket pocket. Langan unfolded it and leaned forward to put it on her desk. Slipping her reading glasses on, Olivia scanned the document. He was right. Of course he was. The auction was to benefit children of survivors. Winners got a “date” with the individual they’d bid on. She looked at him over the top of the spectacles and waited, knowing he had more ammunition in his arsenal.

“Rita Calhoun and Judge Barth are participating,” he told her.

“I’m not an attorney,” Olivia said. “Or a judge, thank God.”

Langan smiled again, this time all teeth, turning on the charm.

“No, you’re better. What lawyer wouldn’t love to pick the brain of an SVU Lieutenant? Off the record of course. And you’re not exactly hard on the eyes, either.”

“That sounds a little sexist, counselor,” she chided.

“It’s not just women,” he hurried to assure her. “There are some male attorneys and judges participating too.”

“Are you?” Olivia challenged, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

“No. I -- uh, I couldn’t bid on anyone if I was.”

A flush crept up over the top of his collar.

It was no secret Langan held a candle for her. He’d tried a couple times over the years to ask her out but Olivia had gently turned him down. In her mind, their relationship was an odd one. He knew a lot about her but yet nothing, and she had no interest in dating the man who had once been her own defense attorney and then representation for her son and his biological mother prior to her death. Besides, after the disaster with David Haden, she had sworn off lawyers. Sort of. 

Langan unfolded himself from the chair.

“So can I tell them you’ll do it?”

Olivia sighed.

******

“Why did I tell him I’d do this?” 

Olivia took a large sip from her glass of wine; her second since she had entered the room backstage where the volunteers waited.

She didn’t mind being in the spotlight when she was doing something important. Press conferences, addresses at COMSTAT, even speaking at school assemblies. Those things came easily to her because she was sharing information and educating people. But this. Olivia sighed and sat down not so gracefully onto an overstuffed couch. All she had to do was smile and stand there, the master of ceremonies, one of the partner’s at Langan’s firm told her. He was everything she hated in a man: condescending, overstyled hair, overpriced suit and cloying cologne. His statement made her feel like she was being pimped out and his smile made her skin crawl. She kept telling herself it was for children.

“Hey, go easy on that, Lieutenant,” cautioned Rita Calhoun. “You want to be able to make it across the stage in those shoes without breaking an ankle.”

“Shove it, Calhoun,” Olivia said. Her face was serious but her eyes twinkled with good humor. “You don’t mind being paraded out there because you already know who you’re going to end up with.”

The defense attorney was in a relationship with her sergeant, Fin Tutuola, and Fin had assured her no one was walking out of that room with Rita but him. The SVU lieutenant lifted the leg that was crossed over her other and eyed her 3.5” heeled footwear. She’d chosen them because they made her taller than or at eye level with most of the men in the room. But Rita was right. That wouldn’t matter if she couldn’t walk in them. One last sip and she lowered the wine glass to the nearby table and stood, moving to the spread that had been provided.

“You look lovely, Liv,” said the tall man standing at the table filling a plate of his own.

Of course he was loading it with the healthy choices. Olivia suppressed an eye roll and placed a bacon wrapped scallop on her own plate in defiance. Scallops were good for you, she thought. But then added some of the raw vegetables as well. Then she offered him a polite smile.

“Thank you, Peter. You look quite dashing yourself.”

Peter Stone. The newest addition to the DA’s office. The lawyer was a six foot plus tall piece of eye candy, if you liked a chiseled face and well muscled abs that he wasn’t modest about showing off. Olivia stopped by his office one evening to compliment him on a win, and had entered after he acknowledged her knock only to find him pulling on a casual shirt over his bare chest. Now he was sporting a tuxedo for the evening’s event and Olivia had no doubt his winning bid would do the charity well. They’d worked together a few times since Jack McCoy offered the former professional baseball player a job when he found out the younger Stone was staying in New York following his father’s death. He’d been a successful prosecutor in Chicago but had no experience with sex crimes and Olivia wished Rafael Barba would mentor him a little. She shook her head regretfully, returning to her spot on the couch with her plate of food. But that was unlikely given Barba had hinted he was going to take some time off from the DA’s office. Another probable reason why McCoy had assigned Stone to sex crimes. The last six months had brought them some hard cases and the green eyed ADA had confided in her he felt like he was losing his moral compass.

*****

“Why did I let you talk me into this?”

Rafael Barba glared at his former law school classmate and tossed back what was left in his tumbler. Not only was he attending under duress, but the food had been shitty. At least the alcohol was top shelf. Leave it to lawyers to put the quality of the booze above the meal. Rita held up a well manicured hand to tick off the reasons.

“One, it’s for charity. Two, you might find someone you want to bid on.”

As if on cue the emcee announced the next volunteer and Rafael’s newest coworker strolled onto the stage. 

“He looks nice,” Rita said, making Fin turn his head to look at his girlfriend. 

“Not as nice as you do, Baby,” she purred. “Plus, he’s too young. I like my men with some experience. He looks like the only second base he’s ever made it to is on the ballfield.”

She patted Fin’s knee and slid her hand up his thigh as he coughed to hold back a laugh.

“I need another drink,” Rafael announced and stood up.

As he made his way to the bar he heard the bidding for the younger man begin and climb quickly. Standing in line he saw most of the hands going up were women, but there were a few male bidders as well. Stone was attractive, but this was the first decent suit he’d seen him in, Barba thought. His work wardrobe was drab and boring. Maybe Chicago simply wasn’t a colorful city. Seeing his new coworker reminded Barba that McCoy had given him a deadline to let him know if he was going to take some time away from the DA’s office temporarily or give his notice. His stomach twisted at the thought of either staying and leaving and he sipped his drink, watching Stone’s bids climb and thinking about the choice he needed to make. Staying meant continuing to deal with imperfect and damaged victims and offenders whose guilt was often so ambiguous it was difficult to prove. Leaving meant potentially leaving behind an established career. Leaving meant leaving his mother if he decided to get a job outside the city and leaving SVU meant leaving --

“Lieutenant Olivia Benson!”

The ADA was pulled from his thoughts as the SVU commander’s name was announced and his head whipped around to look at the stage. When had Stone’s bidding ended? he thought, and watched as the leggy brunette, her legs looking even longer in the bright blue pumps she was wearing, walked into the spotlight and smiled at the crowd. He knew that smile. That was what his Abuelita would have called a _sonrisa plástica_. The kind of smile you give someone because you’re expected to, not because you’re particularly happy. Other than the heels, Olivia was wearing a black dress she probably usually wore to NYPD functions. Still, it was nice to see her in something other than work pants and blazers. But she was the last person he expected to see auctioning themselves off; even for charity.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

His glass was empty so Barba tapped on the bar. 

“Two fingers, straight up.”

The bartender placed the shot in front of him and he picked it up, tossed it back, and put it back down with a thump. 

“Two more on ice, please.”

When Barba returned to the table, he was carrying a buzz along with his new drink, but still able to glare at Rita. She smiled innocently at him when he sat down and angled his chair so he had a better view of the stage where Olivia was standing, her hands clasped in front of her while the emcee rattled off her law enforcement accomplishments. He waved in her direction.

“Is this why you wanted me to come tonight, Rita?”

The other lawyer shrugged and pushed her own chair back. 

“I’ve got to get backstage. I’m up after the lieutenant,” was her reply. 

She kissed Fin on the cheek and whispered, “Don’t let yourself get outbid.”

He smiled at her, his dimple showing and assured her he wouldn’t. When Rita walked away the detective turned to the man beside him, dimple deepening and asked,

“You gonna bid on Liv, counselor?”

Barba scowled, took a sip of his drink, and looked at the person in question. The first bid was in. The emcee was asking for another when a familiar voice spoke and Barba turned his head. Trevor Langan. He ground his molars and took another sip when Langan was outbid by the first bidder. The price was up to $300. Barba loosened his tie a little when Langan bid again and Olivia shifted restlessly on the stage, looking uncomfortable at the whole process. A few more bids and the level of Barba’s glass had decreased significantly. His tablemate hadn’t said another word but when the bid went to $600, nudged the lawyer’s arm with his elbow. Barba drained his tumbler and placed it carefully on the table. He swallowed, glanced at Langan and then back at Olivia before casually raising his hand.

“Twelve hundred dollars.”

From her spot, Olivia squinted in the direction of the new bid, but the lights prevented her from clearly seeing who it was. The voice sounded very familiar, but so had the other bidder’s. All she could see was a raised hand, and cursed whoever had chosen to put this many footlights on the stage. _Who on earth would bid that much on her?_

From his seat, Barba’s heart was pounding as he listened to the auctioneer ask for another bid. None came.

“The bid is twelve hundred dollars,” the man said. “Twelve hundred dollars for Lt. Olivia Benson from the Special Victims Unit. Going once. Going twice. Sold!”

Olivia quickly exited the stage and was greeted by Rita, who had a huge smile on her face.

“Twelve hundred! He really didn’t want Langan to win, did he?”

“Did who? Was Langan one of the bidders?” Olivia asked. “I thought I recognized one of the voices. You can’t see the audience from the stage. The lights are too bright. But you said he wasn’t the winning bidder? Who was it? He sounded familiar too.”

“Gotta, go, Lieutenant. I’m up,” said Rita, striding out onto the stage.

“Shit,” Olivia cursed.

Finding her wine glass had been taken by the waitstaff, she got a clean one and poured a fresh glass of red from the self serve bar and took a drink. She wracked her brain to see if she could recall the other familiar voice. Now that she knew the one had been Langan, she closed her eyes and focused on the one that cast the winning bid. Her eyes shot open. No, Olivia thought. It couldn’t be. 

Out in the main room, Barba was making his way to the table where winning bidders tendered payment. He was happy to see they were accepting credit cards, since he didn’t walk around with twelve hundred dollars in cash. He couldn’t believe he’d bid on his friend, let alone won her. The impulsive decision had been fueled by the alcohol in his system; the words had been out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he couldn’t back out now. Worst case? She refused to go on an actual date with him and the charity still got its money. Best case? It was his turn to pay before he could continue with that train of thought.

Back stage, Olivia downed the last of her wine and paced nervously. She had no idea why on earth Rafael Barba would have bid on her, or why he was even at this event. But she needed to stop hiding and go see if it was him. Just as she was about to open the door to leave the room, Rita returned from her turn on stage, grinning widely.

“Odafin had to pony up big to make sure he got me,” she chortled. “Some guy from the Bronx DA’s office kept outbidding him. What’s wrong, did Rafi chicken out and leave?”

“I don’t know,” Olivia admitted, reaching for the wine bottle, knowing she shouldn’t, since she hadn’t had anything to eat yet, but getting confirmation that Barba was her winning bidder made her pour more into her glass and take a large drink.

“Good Lord, have you been hiding in here?”

The defense attorney clucked her tongue and took the wine glass from the other woman’s grasp. 

“Come on, let’s go find the lucky men who won us.”

Rita tucked her arm through Olivia’s and led her from the room.

Barba and Fin, having paid their bids, were again both seated at their assigned table. Dinner plates had been removed, much to Barba’s dismay. The food sucked and would have been cold by now, but he needed something other than scotch in his stomach. However, as he saw his former classmate approach with Olivia, he wished he’d stopped at the bar on the way back to the table. She offered him a small smile as he stood to pull out a chair for her and then seated himself at her side.

Her detective didn’t give his girlfriend a chance to sit down, however. He stood and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Let’s get this date started, Babe. For what I paid tonight, I bought myself the whole weekend.”

Rita laughed and Olivia and Barba exchanged amused, slightly embarrassed glances.

“See you Monday, Liv,” Fin told his commanding officer.

Rita waggled her fingers at the pair who remained. 

“Enjoy the rest of the evening, you two. And Liv, don’t let him get off cheap on the date.”

She winked, before turning and leading Fin from the room.

“I assume you knew about them?” Rafael asked. Olivia nodded.

“We haven’t had a case with Rita since they started dating, but Fin said he’d step out of the investigation if we do. Since they aren’t technically co-workers, there isn’t a need to disclose anything.”

Barba nodded, wishing again he had another drink. Before he could suggest getting them both one, Olivia spoke again.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here, tonight.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be on the auction block.”

“Trevor Langan talked me into it, since it was for a good cause. I think he was hoping he’d be my winning bidder.” 

She wrinkled her nose just slightly enough that Barba understood that wasn’t something she’d have liked, which made him wonder how she felt about him having that title.

“Liv.”

“Barba.”

They spoke at the same time and then laughed, breaking some of the tension. He gestured for her to go first.

“Do you want to get out of here? I’m starving. They had food backstage for us, but Stone shamed me into eating vegetable sticks. So all else I’ve had is wine and it’s kind of gone to my head.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. For the same reason. The bar had good scotch but the food was typical rubber chicken and I didn’t eat it,” he admitted.

“Are you telling me I was an impulse purchase because you were buzzed?” Olivia teased, putting a hand on his arm.

Rafael’s green eyes met hers before flicking to her lips and back again.

“If I was going to do something impulsive with you, Liv, it wouldn’t cost me twelve hundred dollars,” he said quietly. “And it wouldn’t be in a banquet hall.”

Feeling bold, she mimicked his gaze with her own brown orbs and gave his arm a squeeze, feeling the toned muscles beneath his jacket and shirt.

“Then let’s go somewhere else and we can talk about being impulsive.”


End file.
